Shadows of the Past: A Supernatural Suspense Mystery (Shadow Slayers Stories Book 1) by Nellie Steele (read aloud .txt) 📗

sense. Josie glanced around the room as if searching for answers. Her gaze fell onto the gold music box. She stared at it. Another mystery. Why give this to her? Whose was it? She picked it up, sensing its weight in her hands. She was sure she had never seen it before yet somehow it seemed so familiar to her. She opened it and the gentle tinkling music started to play. Yes, it seemed so familiar and comforting. She held it for a while longer, lost in thought. It brought her a sense of security, but her mind remained troubled. It seemed like it was reaching for something but couldn’t quite fill in the gap. It was as though she was teetering on the verge of remembering some detail but she wasn’t able to make the final connections.

She settled back in her bed, still holding the music box. She was suddenly sleepy. She closed her eyes, shutting out the world. Except for the music. The music kept playing as she drifted off to sleep.

When Josie awoke the next morning, the music box sat on her night table, closed and quiet. She hadn’t remembered putting it back there; she must have been half asleep when she did. The silence in the room was deafening. She missed hearing the music. She opened the box and let the music play. What a lovely tune it played, she noted, as she changed into her jogging gear. She almost hated to leave it, but she wanted to get her jog finished. She closed the music box and headed out.

When she returned, Michael and Damien were both awake and preparing for the day. “How did you sleep?” Michael asked.

“Good, actually,” Josie said, “I had trouble falling asleep but once I did I was out like a light.”

“Did the music box help?” Michael questioned further.

“It did. How did you know?”

“I checked on you in the middle of the night. You were holding it. I closed it and put it next to you.”

“Why did you do that?” Josie said, accusatory.

“I didn’t want it to wake you or for you to drop it.”

“You shouldn’t have done that. Don’t touch that, just leave it next time.”

“Okay, sorry,” he said, confused at her sudden outburst.

“Sorry, I realize you were trying to help,” she said, softening a bit. “Are you both heading in to the office today?”

“I am, full day today, half-day tomorrow,” Damien answered.

“Me too, unless you want me to stay home with you?” Michael said, directing the last statement as more of a question posed to Josie.

“No, no, I’m fine. I feel good. Perhaps the therapist was a good idea.”

“Okay, great. See you when I get home then,” Michael said, leaving the kitchen.

“You sure you’re okay?” Damien asked once Michael left.

“Yeah, like I said, I feel good. About the best I’ve felt in weeks. It’s amazing what a good night’s sleep will do, huh?”

“Okay, if you need anything, call me.”

“Okay, have a good day!” Josie said as she set the teakettle on the stove.

Josie had her morning cup of tea on the porch, enjoying the beginnings of what promised to be a lovely summer day. She swung gently on the porch swing as the warm breeze caressed her skin. She overlooked the front lawn edged with the forest that enveloped the house on all sides. The smell of summer hung in the air; closing her eyes, she enjoyed the scent and sounds of the season. She felt refreshed today, more like herself. As she sipped her tea, she hummed with happiness to herself. She recognized the tune; it was the one from the music box. The music box was beautiful. If she had received it by mistake, it was a happy accident because she was growing to love it.

She retrieved it from her bedroom, carrying it to the porch. As she drank the rest of her tea, she listened to the music, becoming relaxed. She almost hated to finish her tea and close the little music box to head in for work. Checking the time, she dragged herself off the swing and headed in to her office. She spent the rest of the morning processing jobs, checking logs, fixing issues and more of the typical cybersecurity work.

By lunchtime, she had made great progress. She headed out for lunch and a few work-related errands. She stopped by a local café for a salad and iced tea before making a few stops to pick up and drop off various things for work.

Her last stop was at the local office supply store, she had a list a mile long of supplies she needed. She took a cart and began to navigate the aisles, looking for everything she needed. As she rounded the aisle, she almost ran into someone on the corner. “Oh, I’m sorry, excuse me,” she apologized, smiling at the person. Her smile faded as the man turned to faced her. He seemed familiar, but she couldn’t place him. Then she realized. “Oh, oh my goodness, you’re the man from the mall, you caught me when I fainted. Wow, this is the second time I’ve almost run into you, you should really stay away from me,” she joked.

“Yes, how are you?” the man asked.

“Much better, thank you. I never got a chance to say thank you for the save. There was so much confusion.”

The man smiled. “Anyway, thank you again.” She gave an awkward laugh and started to push her cart away.

“I can help you more, if you’d let me.”

“I’m sorry?” she asked, turning back to him, unsure of what he meant.

“I said I can help you more. I can help you remember who you really are.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you mean,” Josie said, growing uncomfortable with the conversation.

“You’ve been struggling, haven’t you? With the dreams? The nightmares?”

Josie eyed him with disbelief. How could he know about her nightmares? The man continued, speaking quickly, sounding almost desperate. “The music box, it’s helping you isn’t it?”

Josie’s mind clouded, her